Castle Dale City discusses ordinance concerns

Several citizens were on hand at the recent Castle Dale City Council meeting to state some concerns about events in the city. Mayor Neal Peacock welcomed the residents to the meeting to voice their concerns.

The first concern was voiced by a resident concerning the speed of the traffic on his street. He said many children live in the area and requested the city install speed limit signs to try to slow the traffic. His home is near Cheddar Field and he says when there is an activity in the park, the road has a high volume of traffic.

Mayor Peacock informed the resident the speed limit is 25 miles per hour in all residential areas of Castle Dale. The council agreed to install stop signs on each end of the street and speed limit and children at play signs along the route. In several weeks, they will evaluate the situation and determine if the signs have helped. Mayor Peacock will also request extra patrols of the area from the Sheriff's Office.

Another resident addressed the council with his concerns about ordinance enforcement. The city has recently appointed an ordinance enforcement officer, Richard Herring, and he is beginning to send out letters to those citizens in violation of any ordinance. Letters are going out for any number of ordinance violations, from watering during the day to beautification of individual yards. The enforcement officer is also enforcing ordinances that deal with businesses and their signage.

The resident stated his neighbor had received a letter concerning the weeds in front of his property. The neighbor has been sick and cannot do the work, and the resident has been doing it for the neighbor. "This person is a great guy," said the resident. "The letter has caused him a great deal of mental anguish."

GayLee Jeffs, council person over beautification, said the committee decides who gets the letters. She said they had talked with the neighbor before a letter was sent out. Mayor Peacock informed the resident of a person's civic duty to keep the weeds clear in front of their home, even if the property belongs to the city. Mayor Peacock also assured the resident that his neighbor has not been singled out and at least 26 letters were sent with more in the coming days.

The resident went on to suggest the city begin to enforce more of the ordinances dealing with signage in the city. He stated many signs are still up along Main Street where the businesses no longer exist. "This is very confusing and unsightly. We need to take care of that problem," the resident concluded.

Stop signs were the next concern of another Castle Dale resident. She said the cars speed along her street and she would like to see the existing stop signs moved from the North-South corners and placed on the East-West corners. "Many of my neighbors will not let their children out of the house to play during lunch hour at the high school. School will begin soon and we would like this problem looked at," she said.

Mayor Peacock assigned Councilman Brad Giles to research with the Utah Department of Transportation the procedure for moving and changing stop signs. Councilman Joel Dorsch suggested the area residents call the Sheriff's Office for extra patrol.

The final concern from a resident came from a Main Street property owner. He stated when there are fireworks at the rodeo grounds, his livestock and pets get very upset and scared. Some have injured themselves and required euthanization. "I am requesting you find a parcel of city property somewhere else to have the fireworks," he said. The resident said he feels the city should be responsible for the damage to livestock in the city during fireworks displays. He told the council he is not the only person to lose livestock this way.

In other business conducted by the council, Mayor Peacock informed them of the number of dog problems happening in Castle Dale recently. Many residents have been bitten by dogs which are being allowed to run loose. If a person has a problem with an animal, he should call the animal control officer, Wendy Larsen at 381-5402.

The next Castle Dale City Council meeting will be held Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. in city hall.